The present invention relates to securing a vehicle seatback trim cover to a portion of the seatback frame, and more particularly, to a retainer for securing two ends of a trim cover to a frame at a single location.
With reference to FIG. 1, in a vehicle seatback 10 incorporating a child seat module 12, the module 12 is typically disposed between two bolster portions 14 and 16 of the vehicle seatback 10. A trim cover 18 is fitted over the respective bolster portions. Each end of the trim cover 18 includes a conventional rope listing 20 sewn thereto which is used to secure the trim cover to the frame.
As shown in FIG. 1, to cover bolster portion 14 with the trim cover 18, one end of the trim cover 18 is disposed adjacent a portion 22 of the frame. The trim cover 18 is then wrapped around a peripheral surface of the bolster portion 14 such that the ends of the trim cover are disposed generally adjacent to each other. Conventional hog rings 24 are then used to fix the rope listing ends of the trim cover to the frame portion 22.
The hog rings 24 are typically delivered using conventional air-operated devices, whereby manual actuation of a trigger delivers and secures the hog ring at the desired location. Such devices, however, are cumbersome, often weighing a few pounds or more. It has been found that continuous handling of the device and repeated actuation of the trigger during the assembly procedure may lead to operator injury, such as the development of carpal tunnel. Further, when using conventional hog rings in the assembly, it is difficult to perform any required adjustment of the trim cover once secured to the frame.
Accordingly, it can be appreciated that a need exists to provide a simple and cost effective way of securing a trim cover to a seatback frame which overcomes the inadequacies of the conventional methods.